Only an estimate of 60% of the international community approved of this. I’m curious what arguments against renaming it would be? Maybe cost? Although is a little whiteout really that problematic? I could introduce to opposition some simple software methods to iteratively erase that c in front of the word.
Probably the fact that you will need to keep the old name alive to reference it in older litterature anyway. So old name will still be there forever and makes the name change a bit moot.
Maybe they are worried it adds cognitive complexity.
They may think it will be very difficult to enforce the usage worldwide. Some people won't care and keep using the old name.
They could be afraid, it opens the field to constant renaming because the meaning and the disposition toward word changes all the time.
They might be worried they'll have to waste time constantly arguing over name change and in fine decide who has the right to be offended by what. Maybe some of them would rather be doing their research instead.
Maybe they don't give a fuck if it offends someone.
What's the racist reference exactly?
The word "caffra"
for instance, numerous creatures, especially in Africa, have as part of their scientific name the word caffra, cafferiana, caffrorum, and other similar derivations of an Arabic word for “infidel” that is now considered a highly offensive racial slur and regarded as hate speech in South Africa.
science
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